On Saturday, January 27th, 2018 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at Ocean Avenue elementary school, come hear from speaker Dr. Amy Wells, who will speak about the benefits of racially and culturally integrated schools. After her presentation, a panel of PPS alumni will talk about how their experiences with diversity in the district helped them in their post-secondary career and beyond. Child care, refreshments, interpretation services will be provided. Address: 150 Ocean Ave, Portland, ME

From Parents’ Intuition to Racially and Culturally Integrated Education

Amy Stuart Wells, Ph.D

Professor, Columbia University

As a researcher who has interviewed thousands of parents about what they want for their school-age children, Amy Stuart Wells has captured the racially divided quandary many present-day parents find themselves in when it comes to their commitment to diverse schools: Many white parents know intuitively that raising their children in all-white communities with all-white schools, does not prepare them for the “real world,” which is increasingly diverse and different. At the same time, they are aware of the many ways in which they benefit from the opportunities – especially resources and reputations -- afforded them in their local communities and schools. Parents of color, on the other hand, are interested in accessing the resources and reputations of schools with more white students, but, they worry about their children being discriminated against or undervalued in schools that cater most directly to the needs of white students.

What to do? Wells argues that only through diverse coalitions of educators, parents, students and advocates to create truly integrated public schools that foster the educational benefits of cultural diversity to prepare our children for our rapidly changing nation and global society.

Amy Stuart Wellsis a Professor of Sociology and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University and the President-elect of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). She is the Director of The Public Good, a Public School Support Organization (PSSO), and Reimagining Education: Teaching and Learning in Racially Diverse Schools, a Professional Development Summer Institute. She is the author and editor of five books and more than 50 articles and book chapters on issues of race and education.
Resources: School Integration Is Making a Comeback as Research Documents Its Benefits